Hairspray (2007) [DVD]

It’s really good but kinda inappropriate, if you have a child below 9 I would not recommend it. The music was catchy, It was like historical fiction the musical. It was so weird to see John Travolta and Christopher Walken as the parents. We loved so much that we’re going to the musical.

Love this movie. Very entertaining.

Such a wonderful, uplifting & energetic musical!

Like the original, this movie will never get old! Such a fun and upbeat movie that also touches on and brings awareness to so many important issues that unfortunately still happen in some places today. The discs themselves play beautifully, especially on a Blu-ray player with 4K upscaling capabilities. Love the special features too. I haven’t noticed any flaws in picture quality, sound quality, or on the case and discs. Haven’t had any issues playing it on any of my Blu-ray players. The cover and disc design is so cute too and really stands out in my collection. I recommend!

If you like the music of the 1960s and you enjoy a non-complex story of a young girl who wants to be popular and works so hard at it, you will love this movie. John Travolta was simply tremendous as the mom. His makeup is as great as Mrs. Doubtfire's and his humor with Christopher Walken as the straight guy who really loves his daughter and mitigates the strong influence of his "wife" make this movie totally believable. "Her" (his) line of "being big in not this family's problem" still leaves me laughing. Michelle Pfeiffer's character, the producer of the dance show on TV, is simply aweful. She is a biggot, totally arogant, and has the agenda of promoting her daughter as as star to the expense of all else except her own ego. Michelle does a superby job in her role. Queen Lativa could not have done a more outstanding job in her role as the organizer of the "black dancers" on the American Bandstand knock-off TV show when she and her group are occasionally put in front of the cameras when the white kids are given a day off. It is a wonderful "rebellion movie" when kids defy the cultural restriction of race and untimately join together and have great fun together. The DVD also contains a terrific movie about the production of Hairspray. Your toe will be tapping during the entire movie.

I avoided this movie like the plague; why was it necessary to remake John Waters' classic movie?!? And John Travolta as Edna Turnblad?!? Well, I was right on 1 out of 2 counts. This movie does a great job of creating its own niche; the songs are catchy and the performances are excellent...except for Travolta. Donning a fat-suit, although he looks grotesque, he doesn't capture the tired run-down housewife look made legendary by Divine. On top of that, Travolta chose to sound like Carol Channing and sounds totally out of place. I do have to give the guy snaps for his dancing though; even in a fat suit he tears up the dance floor. Still, his performance is the one part of the film that really detracts; you believe that Nikki Blonsky is Tracy Turnblad...she wants fame, fortune, and believes in herself; you don't believe Travolta as Tracy's mother Edna; nor do you believe that Travolta is doing anything other than a wink-wink-nudge-nudge to the audience. Michelle Pfeiffer is incredible...not only does she look amazing, she gives an ultra-sleek villianess quality to Velma Von Tussle, the former Baltimore Beauty Queen stuck in a time-warp of when she received her crown (by sleeping with the judges, so noted in one of my favorite musical numbers of the film). Pfeiffer needs to sing more often, as does James Marsden (playing Corky Collins), who seem like he just stepped out of a Rat Pack movie. The voice, the moves...this guy did his homework. The rest of the performances are letter-perfect as well; casting deserves a gold star for this one (other than the Travolta mishap; nice idea, poor execution on his part). For those that don't know the story, Tracy seeks fame, fortune, and a hot boyfriend (Linc, played well by teen idol Zac Effron) on the popular 1960s Baltimore dance TV series, The Corky Collins show. Along the way, she must battle Velma Von Tussle, who wants her daughter Amber to be the star and Linc's girlfriend. Although Tracy is plump, she wins everyone's heart with her singing, dancing, and positive personality. She also helps integrate the Collins show with a little assist from Queen Latifah, another singing/dancing powerhouse in this movie. The colors are very saturated in the movie...this thing looks like a candy-box; a true treat for the eyes, and the sound is excellent too. Turn up that surround sound and sub-woofer folks! You'll be dancing in your living room. I do highly recommend the Shake & Shimmy edition; loaded with extras, New Line doesn't pull a Paramount on you...they give indepth featurettes. One of my favorites are the set of featurettes documenting the history of Hairspray ("You Can't Stop the Beat: The Long Journey of Hairspray"); from the original movie starring Divine, to the Broadway Musical, and then the current version on the Big Screen. The producers, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, discuss how they were instrumental (pun intended) in bringing back the movie musical, which was considered box office poison not so long ago. It is sad to view Divine finally getting a chance to break into mainstream movies and then tragically passing away not long after the release of the original Hairspray movie. You also get featurettes on the choreography, hairstyles, set design, and costuming for the movie. Be sure to catch Penny's dress in the finale; it is made from her bedroom curtains, complete with valance and curtain rings at the hem. It is a little funny to see rehearsal footage of every major star in the movie except for Travlota. The extra "Hair Extensions" shows you the behind the scenes of the dance numbers; rehearsal footage is cut into the actual finished movie footage, providing an interesting glimpse of the work that goes into each number. "Step by Step: The Dances of Hairspray" teaches you how to do the Peyton Place dance, done expertly in the movie by Elijah Kelley. Although the pacing is a little quick for an actual dance number, you could really pick it up with this featurette if you watch closely and rewind it a few times. As always, it is interesting to watch the deleted scenes, but nothing shown here is really missed from the film; the editors made the right decision. Karaoke fans can also sing along with the movie using the lyric track. Overall, 5 stars for the extras, and 4 stars for the movie. Other than JT, the movie is flawless until the end, when it falls into a "let's wrap this up quickly" predictability and silliness that betrays the somewhat serious themes of the film (bigotry and self-image). However, it's hard to be cynical when watching the rowsing musical finale. Get this version today!

Since I loved the John Waters film I actually resisted this for 2 weeks. My bad, because before seeing it my 2007 had been like...Doris Day at the Apollo. I ended up seeing it four times in the next two weeks. Three times alone, because my current pals are (sigh) anti-Musical (and completely non-musical). I'll make this quick: Nikki Blonsky is electric joy. Zac Efron shows why he's Earth's Top Teen Idol (I'm very close to checking out High School Musical despite my age...). The vets, not just great sport Travolta, but Walken, Latifah, Marsden (Cyclops--is that you?), and saucy Pfeiffer, are perfect. Keep your eyes on Amanda Bynes, her every facial expression is hilarious, and she has some of the funniest lines in the show (including of course the Doris Day line I stole above). The extras on the Shake and Shimmy Edition are must-haves. Going well beyond the "mutual admiration society"-type commentary typical of many DVDs, this S&S Edition's tons of candid rehearsal backstage material makes a strong case that this project was a labor of love for all involved. My early favorite is a too-brief scene with the whole cast, without makeup and in casual clothes, sitting around a huge table reading and singing their parts in front of everyone else. Haven't yet checked out the "step by step dance instructions" or sung along to the lyric track (DVD-Rom features)...that will be an embarrassing personal experience that I suspect I should keep private and special. I can't recommend this highly enough. It is sheer pleasure from beginning to end. Of course, make sure you get the original 1988 movie as well.

Feeling a bit down? Pop this baby into your player and you'll instantly feel better. The soundtrack alone is worth having this around. I don't know of anyone who's viewed this film has done so because of it's commentary on race relations. Challenging prejudice and pre-conceptions is the thread that is woven through this sparkling musical, but when all is said and done, I've not felt "enlightened" by that narrative. To me, this version of John Waters' original film was beautifully scored and cast. (Yes, even with John Travolta as Edna, though it took me awhile to accept his quirky take on a Baltimore accent. It became as amusing and silly as the film itself). From the opening number of "Good Morning Baltimore", to the close out of "You Can't Stop the Beat" (and HOW MANY key changes??), this film is a fun escape.